MOSCOW, June 14 (Reuters) - Russia's Uralkali, the
world's largest potash miner by output, sees room for global
fertiliser prices to rise without attracting new competitors
into the market, its head of sales said.

Potential new rival BHP Billiton is mulling whether
to develop the 8 million tonne per year Jansen mine in western
Canada, which would become the world's largest potash
mine.

The few established producers in the market are holding
potash prices at $450-$500 per tonne, however, around three
times production costs but still low enough to act as a barrier
to new entrants, Uralkali's Oleg Petrov said in an interview.

Potential newcomers see an opportunity in a rising demand
for chemical fertilizers to feed a growing and increasingly
affluent global population.

But at current prices an investor cannot be sure that
greenfield projects can turn a profit, Petrov said. "To start
new production, potash prices should be more than $500 per tonne
at the mine gate and about $600 per tonne on the market."
Continued...